A Dangerous Infatuation

by Chantelle Shaw

  What was it about this woman that drove him to the brink with a single kiss? Rocco asked himself. He slid his fingers into the silky bell of hair that framed her face and accepted that the answer did not matter. The moist softness of her lips beneath his, the feel of her parting them to welcome the bold sweep of his tongue blew his mind and his hunger for her overwhelmed him.

  Her skin felt like satin as he pressed his mouth to her throat and found the pulse beating erratically at its base. He pushed her peach-coloured silk robe aside and bared her shoulder to trace the fragile line of her collarbone. Dio, in his past he had had more women than he could count, and his reputation as a playboy was well deserved, but at this moment he felt like a youth again—barely able to control his surging hormones or prevent his hands from shaking as he undressed a woman for the first time.

  Slowly, he drew the narrow strap of her negligee down her arm, revealing inch by delicious inch the creamy slope of her breast, and his breath hissed between his teeth when at last he cupped her naked flesh in his palm. Shaking with the strength of his desire, he lowered his head and flicked his tongue across her rosy-pink nipple, back and forth, until it hardened and he took the engorged peak fully into his mouth.

  Emma could not restrain a soft cry of pleasure when Rocco suckled her breast. Sensation arced down her body and pooled between her legs. The slow build of passion changed to a feverish need that demanded appeasement, and a tremor of fierce hunger shot through her as he removed her robe and tugged her negligee down to her waist, baring both her breasts to his heated gaze.

  When he laved first one nipple and then its twin she arched her back in mute supplication. Her body had never felt more alive than it did at that moment, every nerve-ending acutely sensitive as she trembled beneath the erotic onslaught wrought by his hands and mouth.

  He covered her lips with his own once again, and this time the kiss was hot and urgent, their tongues locked in a sensual duel. Their breathing was ragged when at last he lifted his head and stared down at her, with feral hunger blazing in his eyes.

  ‘Ti volglio—I want you,’ he said, his voice rough with need.

  Rocco had never felt like this before—never felt such an intensity of desire that filled every cell in his body and drove everything from his mind but his desperate longing to make love to Emma. From the very beginning he had felt a connection with her that even now he did not fully understand. She was his woman. He felt it in his blood, in his bones, deep down in the centre of his soul. She belonged to him and he would claim her.

  ‘Yes.’ The single word whispered from Emma’s lips, as fragile as gossamer yet strong with certainty. She knew beyond doubt that she wanted Rocco to make love to her. The past, and the pain Jack had caused her, no longer mattered, and the future was tomorrow. She could only focus on the present and seize this moment with this man, who had edged stealthily into her heart.

  She met his gaze steadily when he stood up and drew her to her feet. He tugged her negligee over her hips so that the slip of silk slithered to the floor, and then with heart-stopping deliberation hooked his fingers into the edge of her panties and pulled them slowly down. She watched the convulsive movement of his throat as he swallowed, saw the predatory hunger blazing in his eyes, and caught her breath when he slid his fingers into the triangle of red-gold curls between her legs.

  ‘Sei bella, Emma,’ he growled as he swept her up into his arms and strode into his bedroom. ‘I have to have you now. Feel how much I want you,’ he demanded raggedly, setting her on the edge of the bed and pressing her hand against the rock-hard bulge beneath his trousers.

  Her eyes widened; excitement and a faint flutter of trepidation filling her as she stroked the burgeoning proof of his arousal. It had been a long time since she had had sex. Jack had been dead for over three years, and in the months prior to his death he had seemed to be put off by her changing shape due to pregnancy.

  Memories of how hurt she had felt pierced her, but she refused to live in the past any more. She was no longer the naive girl who had been so overwhelmed by her handsome, charming husband that she had overlooked his many faults. At twenty-eight, she was a strong, independent woman, capable of making her own choices, and right now she chose to be with Rocco.

  The fierce desire burning in his eyes restored her confidence in her body. Emboldened in a way she had never felt before, she gave him a demure smile. But her eyes gleamed wickedly as she undid his zip.

  ‘You seem to be experiencing massive pressure, signor. As a nurse, I feel it is my duty to relieve your symptoms.’

  ‘Witch.’ He gave a hoarse laugh, driven to the edge by her teasing tone. Now was not a good time to discover she was a sex kitten, he thought self-derisively. He wanted this first time with her to be a long, sensual seduction, but he was so turned on that he feared he was about to explode, and his need to possess her took on a new urgency.

  Barely able to control his impatience, he ripped off his shirt and dropped his trousers. He pulled his boxers down and shuddered as he imagined sheathing himself in the silken embrace of Emma’s body. But the slight shadow of wariness in her eyes forced him to exert control over his rampant libido. He was sure she hadn’t been with a man since her husband, and he knew he must slow the pace and ensure she was fully aroused before he possessed her.

  With a flick of his wrist he pulled back the bedspread and lifted her into his arms, to settle her on the pillows before stretching out next to her and drawing her to him. The contrast of her pale limbs with his darkly tanned body was intensely erotic. Her skin was velvet-soft, where he was all hard muscle and sinew, and he delighted in the feel of her firm, rounded breasts pressing against his chest. He caught her faint sigh with his lips and initiated a slow, languorous kiss that became a sensual feast as he took it to another level that was unashamedly erotic.

  Lost in the mastery of Rocco’s kiss, Emma gave a little shiver of anticipation when he skimmed his hand over her stomach and continued a tantalising path down her body to slip between her thighs. She offered no resistance when he gently pushed her legs apart. Sexual excitement flooded her, and she caught her breath as she felt him delicately stroke the swollen lips of her vagina before he parted her and slid a finger into her.

  A gasp escaped her when he proceeded to explore her with an expertise that swiftly brought her to the brink. He held her there, trembling and eager, and then, to her shock, replaced his fingers with his mouth.

  ‘Rocco …’

  He heard the uncertainty in her voice and lifted his head. ‘Don’t you like it?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ she revealed honestly.

  So the Superman husband had never given her the pleasure of oral sex? Rocco felt a spurt of surprise at the man’s selfishness, quickly followed by a surge of masculine triumph that he would be the first to bestow that gift.

  ‘Let me show you, cara,’ he murmured, dipping his head once more and applying himself to his appointed task with a thoroughness that soon had her writhing beneath him. His own excitement mounted when he flicked his tongue across the tight bud of her clitoris and she gave a guttural cry.

  ‘Please …’ She had never been so fiercely aroused, so desperate for him to possess her and assuage the restless ache of longing deep in her pelvis. Rocco was a sorcerer, and she was utterly enslaved in his sensual spell.

  ‘I intend to please you, cara,’ he assured her thickly.

  Emma was caught up in the maelstrom of incredible sensations he was creating. Her eyes flew open when she felt Rocco move away from her. He smiled at the disappointment in her eyes and handed her the protective sheath he had retrieved from the drawer in the bedside table.

  ‘You put it on for me.’

  Colour stained her cheeks. She was a nurse, for heaven’s sake, and this was certainly not the first time she had seen the male form, Emma reminded herself. But the size of Rocco’s erection took her breath away and she fumbled to open the packet. He was iron-hard beneath her fingertips as she eased the sh
eath over him. Dear heaven, would she be able to take him? she wondered, feeling a flicker of doubt.

  Her heart was thudding beneath her ribs as he pushed her flat on her back and knelt over her, one hair-roughened thigh firmly nudging her legs apart. He kissed her mouth and then trailed his lips down her throat to her breasts, sucking on one taut peak and then the other, until she whimpered with an intensity of pleasure that was almost more than she could withstand.

  Only then, when she was trembling with need, did he ease forward and penetrate her with a deep thrust, pausing for a moment while her internal muscles stretched to accommodate his solid length, before he withdrew a little and thrust again.

  ‘Okay?’ he asked softly, resting his forehead lightly on hers so that their eyelashes almost tangled.

  Passion mixed with tenderness was a potent combination, she thought shakily. She felt connected to him in a far more fundamental way than simply the joining of their bodies, and his gentle consideration touched her heart.

  ‘I’m okay as long as you promise not to stop doing that,’ she murmured—that being another thrust, and then another. Each rhythmic stroke was taking her higher, so that within minutes she was hovering on the edge of some mystical place that she had absolute faith he would lead her into.

  ‘I wish this could last for ever, cara,’ Rocco groaned. ‘But I have desired you for so long that I’m afraid you will have to forgive my impatience this time.’ Driven beyond the limits of his control, he increased his pace and his strokes became faster, harder and so intense that Emma clung to his shoulders while the waves of sensation built to a crescendo.

  The explosion was violent, and yet drenchingly sweet—

  spasms of exquisite pleasure radiating from her central core in an orgasm that was more mind-blowing than anything she had ever experienced in her life. She felt boneless, mindless, and her eyelashes drifted down so that her entire being was focused on the instinctive clenching and unclenching of internal muscles.

  ‘Look at me, Emma,’ Rocco demanded, aware that he was fighting a losing battle with his control. A degree of male pride made him want to be sure that in the climax of passion she knew it was him she was making love with, not a ghost from the past.

  She opened her eyes and stared into his glittering golden gaze. For a few seconds he stilled, his big body shaking with the effort of holding back the tide. But he could not fight its relentless force and threw back his head, a harsh groan torn from his throat as his control shattered and he experienced the ecstasy of release.

  His convulsive shudders evoked a feeling of fierce tenderness in Emma. This strong, powerful man could be vulnerable in her arms. Instinctively she hugged him close, stroking her fingers through his hair and gently pressing her lips to his cheek. This was what making love should be, she thought softly. A complete union of two bodies in perfect accord.

  But for her it had been so much more. She could no longer deny the truth to herself. Love had crept into her heart and ensnared her soul, and that was why she had given her body to Rocco. He had restored her self-belief and healed the hurt Jack had caused. Making love with Rocco had been the most profound experience of her life, one that she would never regret or forget, and the beauty of what they had shared brought tears to her eyes.

  Rocco’s chest heaved as he lay lax on top of Emma, aftershocks of pleasure still rippling through him. He felt relaxed and sated, and strangely reluctant to withdraw from her. For the first time in his life he had felt a union that went beyond the physical joining of two bodies. It was almost as if their souls had meshed.

  He lifted his face from her neck and sought her mouth, but the dampness on her cheek made him stiffen. The realisation that she was crying felt like a knife in his ribs. Had making love with him brought back memories of the husband she still grieved for? Did she wish he was Jack?

  The unwelcome idea brought him to his senses and he rolled off her. What had he been thinking? There was no special union between them. His soul was untouched, inviolate. The sex had been good—more than good—mind-blowing—but that was all it was. There was no reason to dress it up and look for things that didn’t exist—emotions that he did not want.

  He turned his head just as Emma hastily brushed her hand across her face. Clearly she did not want him to see her tears, and he did not want to know the reason for them.

  She gave a tiny yawn and looked mortified. ‘I’m sorry—it’s been quite a day,’ she said huskily. Reaction to the day’s events, its happy outcome and spectacular conclusion, was hitting Emma hard, and she was struggling against the waves of tiredness that threatened to engulf her.

  Rocco knew she was thinking of those endless minutes on the beach, when her daughter had been missing, and despite his determination to ban emotions from his relationship with her he felt a tug of compassion. She looked exhausted and infinitely fragile, her eyes huge and dark with shadows.

  ‘Come,’ he said gently, and he gathered her close.

  His body immediately stirred once more as he traced his hands over her tempting curves, but he ignored the siren song of desire and gave in to a deeper need simply to hold her while she fell asleep in his arms.

  Emma was already at the breakfast table when Rocco strode into the dining room the following morning. Her cool smile did nothing to allay the annoyance he’d felt when he had woken to find that she had left his bed some time during the night, but the flush of colour that stained her cheeks and the way she hastily looked away from him as he sat down opposite her gave him some measure of satisfaction. He was used to being in control of his relationships and usually he was the one to leave his mistress’s bed. The role reversal had left him with a distinct sense of pique.

  But everything with this woman was different, he acknowledged ruefully as he poured himself coffee from the jug, added a spoonful of sugar and took a sip of the strong black liquid. Emma had never played by the rules—which made her capitulation the previous night all the sweeter—but he was insulted that she had crept back to her own room like a thief in the night. Particularly as he had been painfully aroused when he had reached for her in the early hours. His body was still throbbing with sexual frustration. He was going to have to set a few ground rules and let her know that he would call the shots during their affair, he decided.

  ‘Nanna and Grandpa are coming soon.’ A high-pitched, childish voice drew him from his thoughts, and he smiled at Holly, who was wriggling on her seat, barely able to contain her impatience at the prospect of seeing her grandparents. ‘Very soon—aren’t they, Mummy?’

  ‘Yes, but if you don’t eat some breakfast you’re going to be too hungry to go on a trip with them. Now, please eat some yogurt,’ Emma said firmly.

  Catching her eye, Rocco murmured, ‘Someone is very excited.’

  ‘You wouldn’t believe,’ came the rueful reply. ‘I knew she would be up early, but we’ve read a whole book of fairy tales since five o’clock this morning.’

  He felt himself relax as the reason for her departure from his bed became clear. Emma would always put her daughter beyond any other consideration, and he respected her for that. Unlike his own mother who, when he had been a child, had frequently entertained her lovers at the family home, and had not cared about his confusion when he had walked into her room and found her in bed with a man who was not his father.

  His parents had not been good role models for marriage. His childhood had been punctuated by their rows and affairs, their dramatic reunions, followed inevitably by bitter separations. No wonder he had vowed to steer clear of the outdated institution of holy matrimony, he thought sardonically. Why would he choose to tie himself to one woman when he knew he would grow bored with a relationship within weeks?

  But lately he had found himself equally bored with meaningless sexual encounters. He had been aware of a vague sense that there had to be something more. But then he’d remember his parents’ vipers pit of a relationship and realise that love was an illusion—wasn’t it?

  He
raked a hand through his hair and ignored the dish of freshly baked rolls the maid had placed on the table, finding that his appetite had disappeared. Why did a snippy English nurse make him suddenly question everything? he wondered irritably.

  Being introduced to Emma’s in-laws when they arrived half an hour later was an uncomfortable experience for Rocco, considering that he had just slept with their dead son’s wife, but he exerted his usual easy charm and welcomed them to the Villa Lucia.

  It was immediately clear that the Marchants adored their granddaughter and shared a close bond with Emma—and that they had been devastated by the death of their son.

  ‘Jack was our only child,’ Alison told Rocco, while Emma went to check that she had packed Holly’s favourite soft toy. ‘Holly lives on through him.’ Tears filled her eyes, and her grief was painful to witness. ‘Emma is a lovely girl. Peter and I hope she’ll marry again one day, but of course Jack was the love of her life.’

  ‘I understand,’ Rocco murmured.

  What he did not understand was why Emma shied away from ever talking about her husband, and why the mention of his name caused her to withdraw into herself. Mystery surrounded her relationship with Jack Marchant, and he felt frustrated that even though they had shared the most intense sexual experience last night she did not trust him enough to confide in him.

  Determined not to risk upsetting Holly by indulging in an extended farewell, Emma kept a tight hold on her emotions as she leaned into the car and gave the little girl a kiss and a brief hug. ‘Be good for Nanna and Grandpa, won’t you?’

  ‘I will, Mummy. Love you.’

  Dear, sweet Holly. So trusting and innocent and infinitely precious. She would willingly lay down her life for her child, Emma acknowledged, blinking back tears as her parents-in-law’s car with its precious cargo rounded a bend and disappeared from view.